Would-be extremist recruit from Jamaica detained in Suriname

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Jamaican teenager has been detained in Suriname on suspicion of being a would-be militant hoping to join Islamic extremists.

In a statement, Suriname’s police force says the 16-year-old was denied entry after arriving at the country’s main airport on Saturday.

Police say the boy was trying to fly to the Netherlands and then to Turkey. They say a regional intelligence service informed them that the Jamaican hoped to slip into Syria to join Islamic State militants.

Suriname police say the teen has been flown back to Jamaica.

Jamaica’s national security ministry did not immediately provide comment.

Last month, Jamaica insisted there was “no evidence” of Jamaicans joining terrorist groups after a U.S. general identified the island as one of the regional nations producing a flow of 100 would-be militants.